


Child of the Night

by TheEmcee



Category: The Hobbit (2012) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anal Sex, Complete, Death, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Male Slash, Sexual Content, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-13
Updated: 2013-05-13
Packaged: 2017-12-11 17:57:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/801505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEmcee/pseuds/TheEmcee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard is a vampire and has been hunted for his entire life because of it, because he's a 'monster'. Recently, a very persistent Hunter couple has been hunting him, bent on gaining glory for beheading him. In order to protect himself and survive, he kills them. What he doesn't realize is that they have a small child, a son, until it's too late. Horrified at what he's done to the innocent child, Richard takes him under his wing and cares for him as though he were his own. As the child, Martin, gets older, Richard comes to realize that he is his soul mate, something vampires search for for their entire lives. But when Martin discovers what Richard is, their relationship becomes strained and threatens to tear them apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Child of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the actors. They own themselves. ..Unfortunately.
> 
> A/N: I dreamt of this story. Well, not really, but I was in a state of half asleep, half awake and it popped into my head, like a pimple. So, I decided to write and post it. R&R. Enjoy!

~…~

Child of the Night

~…~

Richard had been a vampire for well over four hundred years. He was considered one of the strongest of his race, but also one of the strangest, for vampires preferred to live in covens and he lived alone. By choice, of course, and he had never desired to build a coven of his own or join one. Not because he hated being a vampire or anything of the sort; after his first two hundred years, he eventually forgave Peter for changing him into a child of the night. But Richard found that many of his kind were…arrogant, self-absorbed, and power hungry. They craved fledglings and influence and, of course, blood above any and all else.

Many of them succeeded, provided that they were able to kill the Hunters that came after them for killing innocent people. Contrary to popular belief, vampires didn't often kill their victims. They had no need to, not when they could easily hypnotize them, make a small incision with their sharp nails, and take a few quick sips. A few sips a week were more than enough to keep a vampire in the prime of his life, so to speak. Draining a human of blood was a mere show of power and arrogance, a taunt for Hunters and a display of power over their fledglings. If one didn't kill a human when one fed, then Hunters wouldn't be so quick to, well, hunt. That was one lesson he carried with him throughout his many long years as a vampire.

So, he kept to himself, took his few sips a week, and went about his business. Although he was well known for his power and strength, many of his kind steered clear of him. Richard liked his privacy and he liked being alone. Should a new vampire enter his territory and sought him out for help, he would give it, but he would never ask them to stay and they would never ask to stay. Truthfully, he preferred it that way. He did have friends, traveling nomads who never stayed in one place. Graham was one of them; he liked traveling the world, visiting other members of his blood father's line, unlike Richard, who had never had the desire to form a stronger bond with Peter or any of his other blood brothers and sisters.

And then there were Dean and Aidan, two younger vampires who had discovered that they were each others' soul mates when Aidan was still a human. They could be quite rambunctious and out of control, but they were good kids and meant well. Richard was fond of them and thought of them as his adopted sons who, thankfully, didn't live with him. If they did, his house would be in shambles, and his pantry and frig would be empty in hours. Blood was essential, yes, but so was water and food.

Aside from Graham, Dean, and Aidan, no one really visited him. The three of them were the only ones of his race that he considered friends and he liked it that way. Keeping to himself, keeping watching over his territory, and making sure that no vampires killed on his land practically ensured that Richard would keep a low profile. He rarely went out during the day, not because sunlight would kill him but because, more often than not, he was scoping out his territory, making sure that no unwanted vampires entered his domain without his permission. Such a task often took all night, which is why he slept mostly during the day. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about work. After having been a vampire for over four hundred years, Richard had accumulated enough money for him to live quite comfortably for another four hundred years.

That was how his life was and that was how he liked it.

~…~

The Pipers had been the only Hunter family in town and they knew Richard very well. There had been many, many times when he had helped them track down a rogue vampire who went on a killing spree just for the hell of it or gave them a vampire who hadn't heeded his warnings to get off of his land. Those who defied him after being warned – only once, of course, because Richard did not like repeating himself unnecessarily and vampires had excellent hearing and vision – were fair game as far as he was concerned and he had no problem handing them over to the Pipers to be dealt with. It wasn't murder or genocide; it was him keeping his territory safe. If the humans found out about vampires as a whole, they would all be in danger, and he wasn't going to allow that to happen.

Anyway, the Pipers had worked with him and had worked well with him. Although it was natural for Hunters as a whole to dislike and distrust vampires, the Pipers had a different view point. As long as the vampire didn't kill humans, then he or she would keep their life. However, if a vampire killed a human, then the Pipers would deal with them. Richard understood that and respected it; he knew from experience that not all Hunters were the same, just as not all vampires were the same.

But then, the Pipers moved and the Freemans took their place. Richard had heard of the Freemans from the occasional young vampire who would wander onto his land and seek assistance to the nearest coven. They were nothing like the Pipers. If there was a vampire in the area, then it needed to be exterminated, end of story. He was very thankful that the Pipers didn't tell the Freemans about him because if they had, he would be a dead man. Being dead was not something he wanted and he kept even more to himself after the Freemans had settled into their new home. Every so often, he would see the couple on the street, hunting, searching, and he would blend in with the shadows and steer clear of them.

Even so, they found him. The Freemans, somehow or another, had found out that he was a vampire, a powerful vampire who – and this came from the mouth of a young vampire passing through quickly in order to avoid the hunting couple – had influence among his kind. Richard didn't see how he had influenced any of them, but the fact that the Freemans now knew that he was a vampire put him on red alert. He holed himself up in one of his homes and hoped that they would not come to him. If they did, he would have no other choice but to kill them. There had been many times when Richard had been forced to kill Hunters and for the simple fact that they just would not leave him alone. Attacking someone first, especially a human, was not how he did things.

He would never go out and hunt a Hunter. If he could live in peace with one, then he would. But he would defend himself if they came after him, and it would be violent and it would be bloody and he would feel horrible afterwards. That was why Richard didn't leave his house for almost a month. Regardless of the fact that he knew better, Richard went without blood for almost a month and then the urge to feed became too much to bear. His resolve crumbled and, under the cover of night, he crept out of his house and found a young bartender leaving her bar. Hypnotizing her had been easy and making a small cut on her upper arm was child's play. But when her blood, warm and thick like melted chocolate, touched his lips, it was almost too much. Somehow, Richard managed to pull away from the girl's arm before he drank too much and he sealed the cut with his saliva. It was only then that he realized how quiet the world around him had become.

It had been a warm night with a warm breeze blowing. But now, not even the wind blew past. Everything had stopped, it seemed, even the time on the old clock tower on the corner of the square. When he looked up, Richard realized why. Standing on the other side of the square beside their car were the Freemans, Mr. and Mrs. And they were staring right at him.

Without another thought, Richard bolted. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, but he knew that, thanks to the Hunter blood in their veins, the Freemans weren't too far behind. They followed him back down alleyways and sidewalks, through empty grocery store parking lots and weaved through cars outside apartment buildings. Had he not practically starved himself of blood, Richard probably would have enjoyed the chase. But he didn't, especially since he knew that they would behead him and brag about the fact that they had killed a vampire such as himself with little to no effort. That would not do.

Their chase continued until dawn, until the people of the city began to wake up. That was when it ended, for it would draw a lot of attention to both vampire and Hunter if they ran all around town, weaving through traffic both on the roads and on the sidewalks, and neither of them wanted or needed that. The Freemans left him in an alley downtown and made the long trek back to their car. Richard, feeling worse for wear due to his lack of blood during the past few weeks, waited a good half an hour before he returned to his home, making sure that he wasn't being followed by anyone, Hunter or no.

And that was how things went on for a good few months. Although Richard would still drink blood every week, it seemed that the Freemans were able to lock onto him whenever he was out feeding. They always showed up when he had finished and they always chased him. The husband almost caught him with his knife on quite a few occasions and it got to the point where Richard was half considering leaving town for a good while. But he wasn't going to be bullied into leaving his home and if the Freemans didn't realize by now that he wasn't the kind of vampire who killed humans, then they were never going to be able to live in peace.

With his mind made up, Richard followed the Freemans one night after a chase that had ended earlier than usual. He stalked them as tiger stalked its prey, quietly and without being seen. Richard snuck into their home when they left the back door open by mistake and that was when he struck, fierce and true and with every bit of the power he had been given when he had been changed. Neither the husband nor the wife knew what had hit them until it was too late.

The husband was the first to die. He was in the kitchen, getting a glass of water, and Richard dealt with him easily enough. With nails as sharp as talons, he tore out the man's throat and watched with a grim expression as the Hunter's life drained out of him. Then, Richard made his way upstairs towards the bathroom, where the wife was getting ready to shower. Wrapped only in a towel, she was too busy brushing her hair and studying her reflection in the mirror to notice that he was standing behind her. By then, of course, it was too late. As with her husband, the wife went down easily and without much of a fight. Her blood was a warm, thick pool of red, soaking the bathroom floor and staining the once white towel. But it had to be done; they wouldn't have let him live if he hadn't ended their lives.

Richard turned and was about to leave the bathroom when he heard something. A cry. A wail, actually. A baby's wail. His chest seized as a tight knot formed, causing him to bend at the waist as he realized that he had killed the parents of a young, innocent baby, a baby who had no idea, no clue, what its parents were, what it was. He hadn't even thought about the possibility that the Freemans had a child, but they did. They did and now, now, because of him, that child, that innocent babe, was an orphan. Tears welled up in his blue eyes and Richard had to take several deep breaths to keep himself from crying. The feat was a hard one, especially when the baby began to cry even louder.

Numbly, stiffly, Richard forced himself to stand and he followed the baby's cry. It was as though he were disoriented and moving in a dream; his body felt heavy and slow and it took him forever to reach the baby's room. But when he had, he saw that the baby, a year old if that, was standing in his crib, tears rolling down his chubby cheeks and his bottom lip sticking out as he gurgled and sniffed for his mother and father. When he caught sight of Richard, he paused for a second before his eyes lightened at the fact that someone had finally, finally, come to his aid and the baby, despite Richard being a complete stranger and a vampire, held out his arms, signaling his desire to be picked up and held.

His heart ached with regret and disappointment in himself, but Richard nonetheless crossed the space between him and the crib and picked up the baby. He felt so small in his arms and when he laid his head against Richard's shoulder, the vampire felt more than heard himself sniff, his eyes a bit red and his stomach sore and threatening to empty its contents. Rubbing the baby's back and holding him closer, Richard looked around the room for something that would tell him the name of the babe in his arms. Spotting a My First Baby Book on a table near the crib, he opened it and read the name printed in neat hand writing on the first page: Martin.

Martin.

Martin Freeman.

"I've got you, Martin. Don't be afraid," he told the baby, his voice rough and his throat sore, but his words were soft and reassuring.

With tiny Martin in his arms, holding onto Richard as though his life depended on it, Richard decided then and there that he would take Martin from this awful place full of death and destruction, death and destruction that he had caused, and raise him as his own. Martin would be well taken care of and provided for, of that Richard was more than certain. And he would be more than glad to take care of the tiny babe that he was holding onto. Considering the horrible things he had just done to the Freemans, it was the very least Richard could do.

~…~

There was more than enough room in Richard's house for a baby. Actually, there was enough room for about ten people to live in it comfortably, so space wasn't an issue. Moving Martin's things from the Freeman's house to his own was the issue. He did it all in one night, which was a difficult task seeing as how Martin would start to tear up and cry whenever Richard would leave him alone in a room. So, with the baby in tow – in a car seat, of course – Richard managed to move the crib, his clothes, and everything else before the sun was too high in the sky. And just in time, too, because as soon as he had left with the last of Martin's things, the police showed up.

He watched the news and read the papers, keeping an eye on whether or not the police believed the Freemans' deaths to be murders or wild animal attacks. Their bodies certainly looked like they had been torn open by wild animals. After a few weeks, the police determined that the Freemans were killed by a wild animal, a wolf or perhaps a panther, and surely must have killed their baby as well. With that, the case was closed and Richard was able to breathe freely. Not that he was in danger of getting caught or of remaining imprisoned; he had learned quite a few tricks in regards to getting out of nasty situations over the years.

And then another issue arose not long after he had finally moved Martin in completely.

Honestly, Richard should have seen it coming for it was long overdue. But it would have be nice to have more alone time with Martin. He had never had any children before he had been turned and he hadn't found his soul mate yet, so he had no natural born vampire offspring either. Something inside of him though made him feel very overprotective of Martin and he spent a lot of his time playing with the baby, which he was a bit awkward at first because he had never been around babies or children. Ever. Martin didn't seem to be bothered by that and smiled often when he was with Richard, and that made the vampire feel better about what he had done and about his decision to raise the Hunter child to make up for his awful mistake. Completely fascinated by Martin and almost entirely focused on him, Richard had neglected one small, simple occasion until it was too late.

One night, without warning and while he was in his study with Martin, who was playing on the floor, the front door burst open suddenly. Startled, alert, and angry at himself for letting his guard down, Richard quickly scooped Martin up, who was wide eyed, and put him inside his play pen. He started to cry loudly when Richard stalked out of the room and down the hall to the small foyer, ready to tear out the throat of whoever dared break into his home. When he heard their voices, he stopped and groaned. Leaning against the wall, Richard banged his head against his forearm and swore under his breath before he continued down the hall.

"Take off your coat. It's soaking wet," Dean said as he and Aidan both came into view.

"What do you think I was doing? I'm trying to get it off, but it's stuck," Aidan retorted, partially whining as he did so.

"That's what you get for getting a coat that's too small for you," Dean told him, a snicker in his voice as he did so.

"Shut the hell up. It was the only size they had and it looks cool," Aidan snapped at him. Dean laughed at him.

"Oh, yeah, it looks totally cool sticking to you like an extra layer of skin."

"I swear, I'm going to fucking-"

"What on earth on you two doing here?" Richard broke up their argument. They stopped talking and turned to him. At the same time, large grins appeared on their face and they all but tackled Richard to the ground, soaking him to the bone with their wet clothes.

"Richard!" they cried out in unison.

"Get off of me! You're getting me wet," Richard told them.

"That's what she said," Aidan replied as he and Dean both detached themselves from the older vampire. Richard stood up and watched as Aidan struggled out of his coat. That was when he realized that Martin was still crying. Before he could even turn around to go back to him, Dean and Aidan paused, listening, and then, they grinned before bolting down the hallway, nearly knocking Richard over. Right then and there, he was regretting the fact that he was friends with them.

"A baby!" That was Aidan's voice and Richard walked down the hallway to his study.

When he got inside, Aidan was holding tiny Martin on his lap, cooing and making faces at him which probably should have made Richard afraid. It wasn't as though vampires, especially vampires as rowdy and chaotic as Aidan and Dean, were wonderful with children. He found, much to his own personal amusement, that Martin wasn't laughing or smiling up at the younger vampire. Instead, he was blinking his blue eyes at him and watching him as though he thought Aidan had lost his mind. A spark of pride burst through him; the fact that it seemed as though he were the only one who could make Martin smile and laugh made him feel important…significant. Then he noticed that there were tear streaks on Martin's face and before he could stop himself, Richard was crossing the room towards them.

His heart squeezed and he smiled softly when Martin looked up at him and beamed brighter than any ray of sun ever could. Reaching up, Martin hopped a little on Aidan's lap. Bending down, Richard took the child into his arms and held him. Martin immediately relaxed against him and nuzzled his neck.

"It's all right, Martin," Richard told him softly.

"RiRi," was all Martin said, still too young to say the name Richard, but still managing to say simple enough words like 'RiRi' and, of course, 'No'.

"A baby, huh?" Aidan said, wiggling his eye brows.

"You never told us you found your soul mate, Richard," Dean said, sounding a bit hurt and disappointed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I haven't found my soul mate yet, Dean," Richard replied, his voice still gentle and soft.

"Then come you've got a baby?" Dean pressed him.

"Yeah. I thought that vampires could only get their soul mate pregnant, and that's only if their soul mate's a girl. And we can't impregnate human women, so…" Aidan trailed off.

"It's a long story," Richard said reluctantly as he sat down at his desk, Martin still in his arms.

"Good thing we're vampires with all of the time in the world," Dean told him. "So spill."

"Why are you two here, anyway?" Richard asked them, changing the topic not so suddenly. He'd rather not think about the Freemans and how he had ended their lives so quickly, so easily.

"It's your birthday this week, of course," Dean answered.

"Well, your human birthday, at least," Aidan added. "And you know we always stop by for both of your birthdays."

"Exactly. Anyway, spill the beans about baby Martin," Dean said.

Richard sighed heavily, but began telling them the story. He told them about how he had been on good terms with the Pipers and how when they had moved out of the city, the Freemans had moved back in. He told them about how they believed that all vampires needed to be killed and made no exceptions whatsoever. He told them about how he had holed up in his house for practically a month before he couldn't take it anymore and about how they had seen him feed. And then he told them about how they had chased after him for months on end without any rest. Finally, when he started talking about how he decided to take matters into his own hands and end their lives, his voice cracked and caught in his throat. Luckily, Martin was fast asleep by that time and didn't have to hear him as Richard talked about killing his parents. Not that the small baby would've understood anyway, but still…

A silence fell upon them all as he finished, heavy and thick like fog. As vampires, they all knew what it felt like to be hunted ruthlessly and how tiring and draining it became to have to constantly look over one's shoulder. That being said, Richard knew very well that Dean and Aidan had been lucky to not have had as many run-ins with Hunters as the older vampire had had. Granted, they hadn't been around for as long as he had, but they had been around long enough to have a few minor encounters. They knew the Pipers and the Pipers knew them and let well enough alone. But neither of the two younger ones had ever had to deal with the ruthless and determined Hunters who believed that all vampires were bad.

"So, you took their baby to make up for killing them because they were trying to kill you?" Aidan asked him.

"If I had known that they had a child, I wouldn't have killed them in the first place," Richard replied. "They weren't going to leave me be and I knew that trying to reason with them wouldn't work."

"Understandable," Dean said, leaning back in his chair. "We both know that you wouldn't have killed them if you thought there was another way out." Aidan nodded in agreement.

"You're not a murderer, Richie. I was just wondering… I mean, Martin is, by birth, a Hunter. Won't he, you know, know that something is up with him and you when he gets older?" Aidan said, tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy.

"Hunters are trained by their parents when they reach a certain age how to kill vampires. His blood may be that of a Hunter's, but without the training, he'll just be a normal, ordinary human," Richard explained to them, shift Martin in his arms slightly to the left.

"So then there's nothing to worry about, right?" Dean asked.

"Except for if or when he finds out," Aidan said. Richard closed his eyes for a moment and tried not to think about it. Right then and there, he could have said that he wasn't going to tell Martin about what he had done to his parents period. He would be better off not knowing. However, that could possibly change in the future and he knew that the scene wouldn't be a pretty one if it ever came around to that.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Richard said.

After that, the conversation turned to other things, such as what Dean and Aidan had been doing since they last saw Richard. He excused himself not longer they told him about how they had just gotten back from visiting the United States for the seventh time and how much it's changed since way back when. Martin was still dead asleep as Richard climbed the stairs and walked down the hallway to the baby's bedroom. It was right across from Richard's room.

Pulling back the blankets in the crib, Richard gently laid the baby down in the crib and covered him up. He watched as Martin released the softest sigh he had ever heard and rolled onto his side, his tiny hand clutching the stuffed duck that he always slept with. With a small smile on his face, Richard watched as his tiny ward slept on. A sense of peace, one that he had never before felt in all of his life, settled down upon him and he felt something swell up inside of him. Love, it must have been love. Before taking Martin in, Richard had never had any contact with babies or infants. Now, because of his own recklessness and carelessness, he was a guardian, a parent, and for the first time, he realized that, perhaps, he had been a bit lonely all of those years by himself.

He wasn't alone anymore. Now that he had Martin, he had someone else to care for and worry about and love. Yes, he cared for his friends and loved them, but this…this was different. This, Richard believed, was what the love of a parent must feel like. The urge to protect the tiny being sleeping in the crib, the anger and loathing at the thought of Martin being hurt by anyone including himself, and the desire to ensure that he was happy welled inside of him with a fierceness that nearly stunned him. How long he stood there, gazing softly at Martin, Richard didn't know, but when someone cleared their throat behind him, he reluctantly looked away. Standing in the doorway were Dean and Aidan.

"We've been thinkin' about adopting a child of our own," Dean told him. Richard saw that the two younger vampires were holding hands and he could see them raising a child together as a family.

"There are no vampire orphans. If a vampire child's parents are killed, the coven raises them together as a collective whole," Richard said before he turned back to watch Martin. "You know that."

"Yes, but I wasn't talking about vampire children," Dean told him.

"You wish to adopt a human child?" Richard asked.

"Indeed. We have our own house now and it's big enough," Aidan said. "Plus, we have enough money to take care of a child or two."

"And what about you explaining to it that you're both vampires?" Richard said his brow furrowing.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Dean said, giving Richard a smirk.

"I suppose we will," Richard muttered softly.

~…~

"Ow!" Richard hissed as he jerked his hand away from the stove. He was heating up some soup for Martin, who was now two with blonde, curling hair, and had been pushed against the stove. His finger had accidently touched the stove top and was red from the burn. Looking down, he realized that Martin had tripped over one of his toys and had fallen against the back of his legs.

"RiRi? Hurt?" he asked, his eyes big and round and blue.

"Just a burn, Martin, nothing more," he said, giving the tiny blonde a reassuring smile.

"Oh. Sar, sar, RiRi. Sar, sar," Martin said, frowning and reaching up towards him. Richard bent and picked him up. Grabbing his finger in his small hands, Martin placed a kiss on it and beamed up at him. "All bedder."

"That's right. All better," Richard said. He pressed his forehead against Martin's, his nose brushing against the child's smaller one, and smiled softly. Placing a sweet kiss to Martin's curls, Richard put him back down on the floor of the kitchen. "Go on and play. Lunch will be ready soon."

Martin did so, gathering his toys and making his way towards a more open space of kitchen floor. That was how it always was. No matter what was going on or if Graham, Dean, and Aidan were there, Martin would always, always, be in the same room as Richard. He would follow the vampire into the bathroom whenever he had to go and sometimes he would even insist on showering with him regardless of if he had already had his bath or not. Richard didn't mind it though; actually, he kind of liked the fact that Martin was so very much attached to him. And he didn't even pay any mind when his friends, especially Dean and Aidan, would tease him about it.

No, life was going very well for the two of them and he hoped that it would stay that way.

~…~

"I don't wanna go," Martin told him for the fifth time as Richard walked him up to the front of the school.

It was Martin's first day of school and the six year old had been excited about going…up until Richard had told him that he wasn't allowed to sit in class with him. And that was when the resistance started. All right, it wasn't so much as resistance as hesitation, which made perfect sense. Martin had never really been around other kids his age. Yes, Richard had taken him to a nearby park many times as had Graham, Dean, and Aidan when Richard had to survey his territory or meeting with a nomadic vampire passing through or something like that. But he had always kept to himself and never went over to the other kids or anything like that. No, he stuck close to Richard or one of the others when they went to the park.

"I know, Martin. I don't want you to go either. But you have to," Richard told him as they walked up the steps and entered the school. He already knew which classroom Martin would be in what with the two of them having been to the school a few nights ago for orientation.

"Why?" Martin asked him, pouting and holding onto his hand as though it were a life line.

"Because every child has to go to school," Richard answered.

"Why?"

"To get an education," he said.

"I don't wanna get an edumacation. I wanna be home with you," Martin said. They stopped outside of Martin's classroom and Richard knelt down in front of him.

"I want you to be at home too, but you must go to school," Richard told him firmly, but gently. "But you might like it. Who knows; you might even make a friend or two and forget about silly, old me." He gave a small smile and tried to force a laugh. Martin didn't look convinced of either.

"I don't want any friends. I want to be with you," he said firmly. Richard gave him a sad smile and pulled the tiny blonde in for a tight hug.

"I know, my little one," Richard said. Martin held onto him tightly and Richard rubbed his back reassuringly. "But I will be here to pick you up once school lets out. I promise." Ever so reluctantly, he pulled away from Martin, who looked ready to cry at any second.

"Don't cry, Martin. You might like school, even if you don't want friends."

"No, I won't like school," Martin insisted. Richard did laugh softly at that; he knew even before now just how stubborn Martin could be.

"Behave for me, will you?" Richard asked, pressing a kiss to Martin's forehead. "Pay attention and listen to your teacher."

"Yes, RiRi," Martin grumbled, resembled an old man in a young boy's body.

"I love you," Richard told him.

"Love you too," Martin said and then flung himself into Richard's arms for a hug. The bell rang and Martin was ushered inside with the other children to begin their lesson.

As he left the school, his stomach turned and toiled and ached. He hated leaving Martin behind in a classroom with a strange teacher and strange kids that he was hell bent on not liking whatsoever. Truthfully, if he could have, he would have stayed with him during the entire school day, regardless of how tire he was due to not having gone to bed yet. Each step he took was agony; his legs felt like they weighed a ton and Richard knew that they would lighten significantly if he turned back and returned to Martin like he so desperately wanted to.

But he had spoken the truth. Every child ought to go to school and receive an education, Martin included. As much as it pained him, Martin needed this; he needed to be educated by people who knew what they were doing. Had Richard any idea on how to teach or anything of the sort, he would've home school his young ward. However, he didn't have a clue as to how to go about home schooling, especially when Martin probably would've been distracted by being at home with his toys so close by in the first place.

That didn't mean that Richard liked it. A dreadful ache settled within his heart and even in his very soul at being parted from Martin. By the time he reached home, Richard was edgy and fidgeting and couldn't think straight. Sleep escaped him when he went to lie down, so he took a shower, hoping that it would calm his very frazzled nerves. It didn't. He tried to read and that didn't help, so he went out and scouted his territory. Everything was fine and for once, he was unhappy about that because it meant that he had nothing to take his mind off of things. Returning home, Richard sat down on the couch in the den and stared at the blank TV screen. The house was quiet, too quiet, and empty. Once more, he was all alone and he hated it with a passion.

Needless to say, he was out the door about an hour before Martin's school let out. He grabbed a coffee on his way there and drank it while he waited. Finally, at long last, the bell rang and the children began to pour out from the front doors. When he spotted Martin among them, the edginess and heaviness that had been plaguing him all day immediately evaporated and all he could see was Martin. Only him and nothing else. Almost as if he could sense Richard even from outside the school gates, the small blonde looked up at him and smiled brightly as soon as their eyes met.

Running as fast as he could, weaving through the other children and their parents, Martin collided with him with so much force that they both fell backwards. Richard laughed and held onto his ward to him in a hug. Martin laughed and pulled back. His smile was so much brighter than the sun…it was as though Martin was a star himself. Gently pulling Martin off of him and placing him on the sidewalk, Richard stood up and brushed himself off. Taking hold of the child's hand, they began their walk home.

"How was school?" he asked.

"Awful," Martin said. A pang of concern stabbed his heart and Richard looked down at him, wondering if he ought to put Martin in a different school.

"Why?"

"You weren't there," Martin replied. Richard calmed down at that and smiled down at him.

"Maybe you'll grow to like it," he said.

"Nope," Martin told him.

He didn't have the heart or will to argue with him. Instead, he squeezed Martin's tiny hand and said, "I missed you, you know."

"Really? You did?" Martin asked him, his eyes shining brightly and a smile on his face.

"Of course I did. You are very important to me, Martin," Richard reassured him.

"I missed you too," Martin said and hugged his leg for a brief second before he let go.

The days after that were much like the first one. Richard wished he could say that it got better, that he got used to that awful aching feeling that would settle in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't. He fretted and worried and paced and grumbled and always left the house an hour early. There was one good thing about Martin going to school: he was definitely learning. Every time Richard picked him up, he would ask him what he had learned that day. And Martin would always tell him loads of things. Hearing that his little one was learning and catching on quickly made him proud, and although it didn't lessen the loneliness or the ache he felt, it did help Richard believe that he had made the right choice in putting Martin in school after all.

~…~

"Richard," came Martin's voice from the doorway of his bedroom. Turning over in his bed, Richard opened one eye and squinted at the nine year old. He was holding his old, tattered duck and looked frightened.

"Did you have a nightmare, Martin?" Richard asked, rising up a little on his bed. When Martin nodded, he sighed and pulled back his blankets and said, "Get in."

Martin didn't need to be told twice. He crawled onto the bed and underneath the covers, his duck in tow. As Richard repositioned the blankets, the little blonde cuddled close to him, his free hand tangling in his thin t-shirt. Sighing softly, a tired smile on his face, Richard laid back down and wrapped an arm around Martin's small body. Snuggling further into him, Martin sighed and Richard listened to his breathing. In, out, in, out, in, out…

There had been a few times that Martin's had nightmares. It was usually about the same thing: a man and a woman – Richard knew very well who they were – screaming for their lives as their throats were torn out and their bodies disfigured. Richard knew that Martin was dreaming of his parents and that he had no clue that the people in his dreams were his parents. Knowing that Martin's nightmares were because of him caused great turmoil inside of him and it always brought back the regret and the sadness he had felt when he realized that he had made an orphan out of the Freemans' son. But surely, he was making up for that somewhat, right?

Nuzzling Martin's blonde hair, Richard closed his eyes and listened as his ward breathed deeply as he slept. The sound was soothing and soft and sweet, and soon, he was drifting back off to sleep.

~…~

"I can tell, he's going to be a shorty," Aidan said as he sat with Dean and Richard in the restaurant.

Currently, they were at a buffet because Aidan and Dean insisted that, for once, Richard ought to go out with them to eat before he had to do his nightly rounds. Now that Martin was twelve and more than capable of looking after himself, he had started going out at night again, making sure that no unwanted vampires were lingering around a corner and investigating whether any of the recent murders, few and far in between as they were, weren't caused by one of his kind. A new Hunter had settled into town, a man by the name of Adam, and he was…very nice. Had Richard not already heard of him from Graham, who seemed to have a soft spot for the young Hunter, he wouldn't even have known it. That and he had introduced himself when he first ran into Richard.

Needless to say, it had been a rather odd first meeting and the vampire could honestly say that he had never known a Hunter to be so…nice and friendly. Not even the Pipers had been like that. Yes, they had been nice after a long time of tension between the two and of Richard proving that he never killed when he fed. But they didn't hold a candle to Adam, who was bright eyed and bushy tailed almost around the clock. They often crossed paths and Adam always greeted him as though they were old friends. Richard didn't mind it; he just didn't know what to make of it as not many Hunters were so open and so, well, friendly to his kind. Either way, he often saw Adam every night as he kept tabs on his territory and he felt as though he could trust the young Hunter.

But Richard disliked being away from home now, even though he had to ensure that his claim was still in place and not threatened by another vampire or worse, a coven. He hated being away from Martin even for a couple of hours. As a baby and a young child, Richard rarely ever left his side – school pretty much being the only time they were apart for extended periods of time and he had never gotten over the feeling of loss that came with that. Martin was older now, however, and he could take care of himself and be left alone.

Richard did not want to leave him alone though. Just the very thought of leaving Martin alone at home drove him insane with all of the things that could go wrong. If anything ever happened to his ward, even a paper cut, he knew that he would feel guilty and would apologize like a love struck fool. He wasn't stupid; he knew what was going on. To be honest, he had known what was going on for quite some time, but he refused to think about it or believe it or even entertain the thought.

Some vampires who met their soul mate could tell instantly. Some took years until they realized that they had met their soul mates. Others didn't realized it until it was too late, for a vampire's soul mate was often human and if they were found in time, they could be changed and made into a child of the night. Of course, there were some vampires who chose to not change their soul mates for reasons Richard never understood. He always thought that he would be strong enough to give his soul mate the choice to be changed or to remain human if he ever met them. Now that he had, he wasn't so sure he'd be able to live on forever without Martin.

The thought, the realization, that Martin was his soul mate had, in truth, been on his mind for a long time, but Richard refused to touch the subject. Martin had been young, a mere child, and he still was. Thinking of him in such a manner was sickening, Richard knew that, but the thought always rose up like a tidal wave whenever Martin went to school or whenever Richard went out to ensure his territory was safe. In order to keep Martin safe and happy he had to make sure that there were no threats on or near his land. And that was why he went out every night even though he would've much rather spent that time with Martin.

"What's wrong with being short?" Dean retorted. "And compared to the two of you, everyone is short."

"There's nothing wrong with being short. I love your shortness," Aidan told him leaning in to kiss him.

"Get a room, you two," Martin said as he slid into the booth beside Richard with a plate. How easy it would be for the vampire to wrap his arm around the blonde and pull him in close. Perhaps after a few years, he would be able to do so should Martin wish for it. For now, he would refrain.

"We have a room," Dean told him as he pulled away from his mate's kiss.

"At your house," Aidan finished with a smirk.

"Like I need a repeat of last night. I could hardly sleep after that," Martin mumbled. Richard leveled the two younger vampires with a cool stare.

"You two should be more careful. He's still in school and not on holiday yet," Richard told them as he twirled his fork around his low mien noodles.

"It's not our fault," Dean replied. "What was he doing up so late anyway?" Martin groaned and glared up at him.

"You weren't supposed to say anything," he growled.

"Neither were you," Dean said.

"What were you doing up so late, Martin?" Richard asked, more worried than upset.

"I couldn't sleep so I was surfing the Web," Martin said.

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"You weren't home yet. You know I can't sleep until you're home, Richard," Martin answered him, looking up at him before he turned back to his plate. Hearing that his soul mate couldn't sleep without him made him both happy and sad. Happy because it meant that there was, indeed, a soul bond between them. But sad because Martin was suffering because he wasn't there.

"Oh. I…uh, I'm sorry," Richard said softly. "I didn't know you couldn't sleep while I'm out."

Martin shrugged nonchalantly. "It's okay. It's not as though you're doing it on purpose."

In a way, Richard kind of was.

~…~

"He still doesn't know you're a vampire, does he?" Graham asked Richard as they waited for Martin to get home. He was at the movies with a few mates from school and was due back within the hour. But Richard had a feeling that his fifteen year old soul mate would be a little late. It had become a habit for Martin to get a cup of coffee at the coffee shop by the movie theater and if his friends went with him, they would be talking and it would take a while for him to get home.

"No, he doesn't," Richard said softly, gazing at the wall.

"When are you going to tell him?" Graham said. "He'll find out eventually, you know. While he may not be a Hunter, he still has the blood within him."

"I know that," Richard sighed. "I'll tell him when I'm sure he can handle it."

"Will you tell him about his parents, too?"

Richard paused to think about that. The nightmares that Martin had of his parents dying had lessened as he got older, but he still had them. Memories from a time he couldn't recall while awake but still haunted him in some way. Would it be wise to tell Martin that the reason he was an orphan was because Richard had killed his parents to save himself? Perhaps not, but Martin deserved the truth. He doubted that he would be able to lie to him anyway; Richard found that his resolve crumbled quite easily around his soul mate.

If, or rather when, he told Martin the truth about his parents, it was more than possible that Martin would be angry at him. He might possibly even hate Richard for what he had done. Perhaps he'd hate Richard for what he was, too. Would he be able to handle Martin's anger? Yes, although it would be hard for him as he hated making his soul mate angry. Would he be able to handle Martin's hatred and loathing? Richard highly doubted that he'd be able to handle that. It would probably crush him. No, it would crush him and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to survive that. But he loved Martin more than anything else and if he asked Richard about his parents, then he would tell him the truth, no matter what the outcome was, no matter how much pain would come with it.

"If he asks, then yes, I will," Richard said at last.

"But you could lose him. He's your soul mate and as strong as you are not even you could survive being rejected by your soul mate," Graham said, concern obvious in his tone of voice and in his expression.

"I would deserve it. I took his family away from him, Graham, and that was unforgiveable," Richard told him.

"No, you don't deserve that. You were only protecting yourself. Sometimes people get hurt and die when you're protecting your own," Graham responded, his eyes firm and set. Richard shook his head.

"There were other ways to go about it…"

"No, there weren't," Graham told him. "I've had friends who dealt with the Freemans in the past and I've had friends who died because of them. They wouldn't have given you a chance to explain yourself or talk. They would've chopped your head off without a second thought and would've gone for tea afterwards."

When Richard merely stared fixated on the wall, Graham added, "If they would have killed you, I would've gone after them myself and done them in anyway. So would've Dean and Aidan, so either way, Martin would've been alone. At least he's with his soul mate."

That did little to comfort Richard, but he nodded nonetheless, wanting the matter to be dropped. Graham was trying to help him, to comfort him, and he knew that, but his friend's words weren't doing him any good. If Richard was in Martin's shoes and he had just been told that his soul mate had murdered his parents, he'd be furious, livid, and would hate them for it. A small part of his mind told him that maybe Martin wouldn't even ask him; an even larger part told Richard that he was off his rocker for even thinking that. Of course Martin would ask; who wouldn't? And Richard would tell him the truth. Because Martin deserved it and because maybe, just maybe, things would work out in the end.

~…~

"How old are you, Richard?" Martin asked him from his seat in the study. He had his text book resting on the arm of the chair, but was focused entirely on Richard's face instead of his studying. Looking up from his desk, Richard's blue eyes met Martin's.

"How…old am I?" he repeated, sounding like a broken record. A light, faint blush coated his cheeks and he tried not to think of how large an age gap was between himself and Martin.

"Yes, how old are you? You don't seem to ever age," Martin said. "You've looked the same ever since before I can remember. I mean, I don't think you look older than thirty-five maybe."

Richard huffed out a faint laugh. Before he had caught Peter's eye and had been turned, Richard had been forty, about to go on forty-one. Now, not counting his years as human, he was four hundred and twenty-four. If Martin had known that he was a vampire, he would've said that Richard looked good for his age; he had said as much when Graham had told him how old he was – not literally of course – when he was seventeen, which was two years ago.

"Forty-one," he heard himself say. Vaguely, he heard Martin's text book close and listened as footsteps crossed the few feet that separated him. Looking up, he saw that Martin was scrutinizing him, his arms crossed over his chest, and Richard felt his stomach flutter in anticipation. Anticipation of what, though? Anything, everything, if only Martin would be willing.

"You don't look forty-one. You still look like you're in your thirties," Martin said, bending slightly to studying Richard more closely.

"Well, I'm glad that you think so," Richard said, a small smile on his face. And he was, he truly was, glad that Martin thought he looked younger than he actually was. It was nice to know that he hadn't been looking forty-one for all of his years.

"There's only twenty-two years," Martin mumbled, more to himself than Richard. Of course, with his hearing, Richard heard it anyway.

"What?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"There's only twenty-two years difference between you and I," Martin said a little louder this time. He leaned on the desk and grinned at Richard, whose heart was pounding painfully in his chest. Perhaps he ought to go out and feed before they continued this conversation. If he did, his body would function as normally as a human's did and his pounding heart wouldn't be paining him as much.

"Martin…" Richard said softly.

"Maybe it's your hair. I've never seen you dye it and I've never seen a grey hair in it," Martin continued, grasping a lock o Richard's dark hair and running it through his fingers. It wasn't long – cut short in the back with the front locks only reaching his eye brows – but it felt good, amazing actually, having someone play with it. Without even realizing it, he closed his eyes and shuddered as Martin played with his hair.

"Or maybe it's your eyes. You don't have any crows' feet or lines or anything like that," Martin said, his fingers leaving the lock of hair alone only to gently brush against Richard's eyes. Dear God, did the blonde have any idea what he was doing to him?

"But they are beautiful. Very bright and very blue. I like them better than my own," Martin told him, leaning in closer.

"You're very fit, too, but you've never gone to the gym. You never work out period. Are you just normally this tone?" Martin asked and Richard could feel his body heat, delicious and inviting and enticing. Opening his eyes, he realized just how close they were. He could very easily kiss Martin and was more than half tempted to. And then he realized that Martin had asked him a question.

"Y-Yes. This is how I usually am," Richard replied.

Martin grinned and before Richard could even blink, they were kissing. It was everything he had thought and dreamt it would be and so much more. Warm, soft, sweet lips moved against his own thinner ones and suddenly Richard's body was as hot as fire and as cold as ice all at once. He could feel and hear and smell everything, almost as though his senses had been drastically increased. Moaning, Richard wrapped his arms around Martin's waist and pulled him onto his lap. The sudden urge to hold his soul mate as close to him as possible washed over him and his hands pressed possessively against the jumper Martin was wearing.

A loud moan escaped him as he felt Martin rock his hips against him and he felt his penis twitch in anticipation. Richard's tongue darted out and caressed Martin's lips gently, asking for permission which he was readily granted. Diving in, he could taste the pizza they had had earlier for supper, the Coke that Martin had, and a taste that was completely and entirely Martin, and it was far more intoxicating than alcohol, than drugs, than blood. His cock was half hard and getting even harder the more Martin grounded against him. If they didn't stop soon, really soon, Richard wouldn't be able to control himself.

With an anguished cry, Richard tore his lips away from Martin's and rested his forehead against the blonde's. He was panting, his chest rising and falling, and the grip he had on the jumper loosened. Martin stopped grinding against him and instead nuzzled his dark hair. The feeling of it made Richard close his eyes and sigh in happiness. If they could stay like that for all of eternity, he would be happy. But then he tensed and realized what they had just done.

Fear and panic began to course through his veins. Martin was nineteen, he was still very young. He was a university student and he had a few good friends and liked going out and doing things and being so wonderfully human. Richard was not human; he needed blood in order to ensure that his body would function normally. His senses were stronger than a human's and so was his body. Unlike Martin, he was a vampire; he wouldn't age, wouldn't die a natural death, wouldn't get sick or weak or frail. And Martin didn't know it, not yet.

What would he say if Richard told him right then and there what he was? Would he believe him? Would he laugh at him? Would he be afraid of him or disgusted? Richard didn't think he'd be able to live with himself if he frightened Martin. He didn't think he'd be able to look at Martin again if he even so much as disgusted him.

"What's wrong? Did you… Did I get carried away?" Martin asked him. "Or do you not want this…me?" Richard looked into his eyes and saw fear and insecurity and small traces of hurt.

"No, Martin. I…I do want this. Very, very much in fact," Richard told him.

"Then what's the problem?" Martin asked, a frown marring his face. Richard almost laughed. There were so many ways their relationship could go wrong and fonder.

"Martin, I'm twenty-two years older than you," he said.

"So? I don't care about age. I…I love you. No, I'm in love with you," Martin said firmly and leaving no room for argument. "Besides, I like my men older." If only he knew just how much older Richard truly was…

"I… Wait. Did…did you just say that you…that you're in love with me?" Richard asked him. When he was a child, Martin and Richard had said those three little words often. As he got older, Martin stopped saying them and Richard didn't say them because, well, to him, they meant something more than mere paternal love. But now...

"Yes, I did. I have for a while now, if you must know," Martin confessed. It sounded too good to be true. Richard's heart was still beating wildly and he knew that his face was flushed. Unable to think straight, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Martin shrugged and looked into his eyes. "You've basically been my dad since before I could remember. I wasn't sure how you'd react if I told you I was in love with you before now."

"How long have you…?" Richard trailed off and blushed, not knowing how to finish his question.

"I knew when I was ten," Martin told him.

"The? That's…quite young," Richard said.

"I'm an old soul in a young body. But I knew I loved you when Amanda Knightly told me that she had a crush on me during lunch at school one day. It was embarrassing and I wasn't sure what to say or think. And before I could say anything, you popped into mind," Martin explained. "I thought about you, about the way you smile more when I'm around and about the way you laugh. I thought about how you've always been there for me and how I loved sleeping with you. Not sexually, although I did think about that the old I got," at that, Martin grinned and winked at him.

"Teenagers," Richard grumbled, but smiled despite himself.

"I dunno why you popped into my head when Amanda told me she like-liked me. I just knew that I didn't like her or anyone else but you like that. And there have been others who have told me they liked me, but I turned them all down. By the time I was sixteen, I knew I was hooked for good," Martin finished, his grin turning into a smile of happiness.

"Well, it's nice to know that you'll be faithful at least," Richard said jokingly. Martin laughed and pressed a chaste kiss to Richard's lip.

"Why would I want anyone else when you're right here in front of me?" Martin asked him. "Besides, I'm not the only one who is interested, am I?"

"How did you know?" Richard asked, surprised. If what Martin was implying that he had known about his feelings before that…well then, Richard was worse at hiding his feelings than Aidan was. "Was I that obvious?"

"At first, I didn't think so. You looked the same as you always did. But then, I noticed it in your eyes and everything sort of clicked. Almost as though I just knew that you felt the same way," Martin said. There was no doubt about it now; their souls were bound together.

"So…where does that leave us?" Richard asked. He wanted to hear Martin say it, he wanted to hear Martin say that he wanted to be together. Just like they were meant to be.

"Together in a happy relationship full of love and sex, I hope," Martin answered cheekily, a smirk on his face. Richard laughed and felt his face getting hot again. "I wouldn't have made a move if I didn't want to be with you, y'know."

"I know, Martin. Believe me, I know," Richard said softly before he pressed his lips against the blonde's.

It soon became heated and passionate and Martin's hands wove through his hair, tugging him closer. Richard hummed and wrapped his arms around his mate's, holding him as close as possible. His trousers were getting tight and were straining painfully against his erection, but he tried not to think about it. Actually, he tried not to think about taking Martin at all. If he did, if they made love right then and there, Richard, with his vampiric strength, could hurt him. Not only that, though, but if he claimed his soul mate, then they would be consummating the bond between them. Martin would be tied to him forever and forever, regardless of if he wanted to be or not. As much as Richard loved and desired the blonde, he wasn't going to leave him unprepared and ignorant to what was going on.

"Martin," Richard said in between kisses.

"Shut up and keep kissing me," Martin growled, grinding his hips against Richard's. Their clothed erections rubbed together and sparks flew throughout Richard's entire body, heart, and soul. Knowing and feeling how much his mate wanted him made his heart soar and lifted his spirits tremendously.

"Martin…" Richard said a bit more firmly. Martin sighed dramatically and pulled away, looking thoroughly annoyed and irritated.

"What?"

"If we do this… If we make love, there's no going back," Richard told him, not wanting to tell Martin about him being a vampire. Not yet and not now that they were so aroused and incoherent. "If we do this, you'll be mine. Forever."

"I already am, Rich," Martin said, "and I don't want to go back."

At that, Richard growled fiercely, possessively, and slammed his lips against Martin's. Their kisses were passionate and rough and beyond Richard's capability to describe. Feeling Martin's body on his, feeling his erection rub against his own, as like a dream come true. Martin's fingers tugged again on his hair and Richard surged forward. Scattering papers and books onto the floor, he pinned Martin to the desk and growled as he began placing biting kisses to his mate's neck, savoring his taste and loving the soft feel of his skin in his mouth.

"Richard!" Martin gasped, body arching off of the desk and into his own. Their cocks brushed together and Richard growled again.

He felt Martin pull on his shirt impatiently and heard him say, "Shirt off now". Richard pulled away from his neck and took his shirt off, throwing it somewhere off to the side. Martin's eyes drank him in and seeing the lust and desire in the blonde's eyes almost made him cum then and there. And then Martin sat up and sealed his lips over one of Richard's nipples, licking and sucking the nub. It was like nothing he had never felt or experienced before and he cried out, his cock twitching and throbbing in his pants. Grinning, Martin moved to the other one and gave it the same treatment and Richard nearly lost it.

When Martin pulled away, Richard all but tore off his jumper and undershirt. With just as much exuberance as his mate had shown him, he attacked one of Martin's nipples. His tongue flicked over it, his teeth tugged at it, and his lips sucked on it. Martin's hands were tangled in his hair, pulling and tugging as he gasped and moaned. A shudder ran through Richard's body as he felt Martin's hands move from his hair and down his back, his blunt nails scraping his skin. Pulling away from his mate's nipple, he leaned in and kissed him, not as hard or as rough, but just as passionate and loving.

His hands slid down Martin's torso to his pants. One hand gripped his hip firmly while the other stroked the clothed erection tenting Martin's pants. Hearing the blonde moan and gasp and pant only made Richard's cock ache and throb painfully. He had dreamt of hearing such delicious sounds, but he never thought that they would be doing this. Richard never thought that he would be lucky enough to be loved back regardless of the fact that he had yet to tell Martin what he really was…what he really did.

Pushing that thought out of his mind, Richard unzipped Martin's trousers and, after Martin lifted his hips off of the desk, pulled them off along with his boxers. Letting them fall to the floor, Richard gazed down lovingly at his soul mate. Martin was beautiful, just as he had imagined. Pale, flawless skin made him look almost angelic. There was still a small amount of baby fat on him, but Richard loved it. And his eyes…his eyes reminded him of the sea after a storm. Yes, Martin was beautiful and perfect for him. Just him and no one else.

"Hey! Don't leave me hanging," Martin said, bringing him back out of his thoughts. Rolling his eyes, the blonde pulled Richard down and kissed him hungrily. His fingers went to Richard's pants and tugged on them impatiently. "These need to go."

As Richard kissed him, Martin unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers, his fingers grazing over his erection lightly, teasingly, making the vampire growl. Richard felt Martin's fingers, cool on his hot skin, deep into in pants and pulled them down. Then, he grasped his cock in his hand, stroking it, his thumb running over the obvious wet spot in Richard's boxers. The touch was almost enough to make him come, but he desperately fought to hold on. He didn't want to come so soon, not when he still needed to claim his mate.

After Martin was done stroking him, he tugged his boxers down so that they joined his pants. Richard wasted no time kicking them off and when he was completely naked, Martin pulled away from him. His eyes drank in the sight of the vampire's naked body with such open and honest want and desire and lust and love that it made the hairs on the back of Richard's neck stand up. When their eyes met, Martin grinned at him, grabbed his hands, and pulled him close.

"I knew you were sexy before, but Richard, you're gorgeous," Martin said against his lips before kissing him sweetly. The heat that had taken hold of his body spread to his face once more, causing him to blush. Honestly, Richard had never of himself as attractive, but he was happy that his soul mate thought he was.

Instead of saying something, Richard just leaned in and kissed the blonde. His body pressed against Martin's and he loved how the smaller one fit so perfectly against his own. A soft, happy sigh escaped him as he kissed Martin lazily and pressed against him. With his arms wrapped around Martin, holding him close, Richard opened his mate's legs and moved in between them. There erections rubbed together, creating a blissful euphoria for the both of them. One of his hands caressed a path down Martin's spine and to his pucker. Gently, he fingered it and elicited a low moan from the blonde.

Grinning against Martin's lips, Richard inserted his index finger into the tight, hot pucker. Both Martin and Richard shuddered; Richard had never felt anything quite like Martin's tightness wrapped around his finger, drawing him in, and Martin had never experienced such a wonderful penetration. After stroking him with his index finger, Richard added a second finger and began to scissor Martin, making sure that he wasn't too rough or harsh. It wouldn't be good if he got too carried away. Vampires were, after all, stronger than humans; one wrong move and Martin could be serious injured or worse.

Adding a third finger, Richard began thrusting, slowly at first and then going faster and faster. Martin gasped and cried out when his prostate was hit and the vampire grinned against his neck, satisfied that he was making the blonde cry out in such pleasure. He pulled out before Martin lost himself in pleasure, hoping he had stretched him well enough. Richard pulled back away from Martin's neck and looked at his face, red and sweaty and contorted in pleasure.

"I don't have any lube, I'm afraid," he said, his voice thick and rough with lust.

"Fuck the lube. I just want you," Martin gritted out. Richard gave him a smile and lined himself up with his mate's pucker.

"This'll hurt a bit," he said against Martin's ear before he kissed it.

"I don't care," Martin told him, his hands gripping his shoulders, urging him on.

Placing a kiss against Martin's temple, Richard jerked his hips and sheathed himself inside his mate's tight, hot, wonderful body. Martin cried out loudly, his nails digging into Richard's skin, and his body clenching around Richard's cock. Richard moaned, his head resting against Martin's neck and panting against his bare skin. He paused for a moment, allowing both himself and his mate to adjust before he began to move. Pulling out slowly and not the entire way, Richard thrust back in, gripping Martin's hips as he did so. A steady rhythm started up and the sound of skin resonated throughout the study. One of Richard's hands moved from Martin's hip to his cock. Grasping it in his hand, he began to stroke it as he continued thrusting in and out of the blonde's body. At first, his strokes were light and teasing, but Martin growled impatiently, causing Richard to chuckle.

"Stop teasing me, you git," Martin said. Richard kissed a spot on his neck before he bit down in response.

"Richard!" He loved hearing Martin cry out his name like that. With a smile still on his face, he began suckling the bite, knowing very well that it would leave a very lovely mark by the time they were done.

Richard's stomach began to feel light and fluttery and his thrusts became erratic and hasty. He wasn't going to be able to last much longer. The feel of Martin clenching and unclenching around his dick, hearing his cries and moans of pleasure, and tasting him on his tongue was simply overwhelming in the best way. His strokes became just as frantic and fast and Richard knew that Martin wasn't going to last much longer either. Panting, the blonde was holding onto him for dear life, his hair clinging to his sweaty face and making him look so innocent and lovely. One of Martin's hands pulled Richard up from his neck and kissed him, groaning in relief as their lips moved perfectly against each other.

He felt as light as a feather and as stiff as a board. His body was on fire and it was so all consuming that Richard didn't even hear Martin come all over his hand and their stomachs. But he did feel him. Martin's entire body tensed, which caused him to clench oh, so deliciously tight around Richard's cock, and a violent shudder passed through him as he came. That, in turn, was more than enough to make the vampire come. With one final, hard thrust, Richard emptied his seed into his soul mate's body, growling loudly as he finally claimed what was his, his body going rigid as well.

Panting, Richard slumped against Martin, who was only sitting up because Richard's arm was keeping him upright. He kissed the blonde lovingly as they came back to reality. They were both sweaty and flushed and blissful. Smiling gently, Richard nudged Martin's nose with his own before kissing him again. For the first time in his entire life, he felt whole, like his soul was finally in one piece, and a sense of peace the likes of which he had never known before fell upon him. Briefly, he wondered if Martin felt it as well.

"That…" Martin panted, smiling like a drunken fool, "was…amazing." Richard kissed his forehead, loving how salty his skin now tasted.

"Yes, it was," he agreed wholeheartedly.

"We should do it again," Martin said.

"I'll be ready to go in about five minutes or so," Richard replied, grinning. Martin's grin rivaled his own and he pulled Richard closer, their sweat slicked bodies rubbing together sinfully. It was amazing.

"So will I," Martin told him.

~…~

Richard knew something was wrong before he even stepped foot outside of his house.

Something deep in his soul told him that Martin was in trouble. He paused for a second on his door step, closing his eyes, listening…feeling… It was too quiet and the air was full of tension and something unpleasant, something harmful. His ears picked up on the familiar beat that was Martin's heart and he raced as fast as he could towards it. Weaving through alleyways, past trash bins and parked cars, he kept his eyes and ears opened as he followed the invisible trail. Another feeling in his soul told him to go topside, so he grabbed the nearest fire escape and climbed all the way to the roof of a building. Running and leaping, he followed Martin's frantic, panicked heart beats until, at long last, he found him.

Staring down into an alley, Richard saw Martin standing in a pool of light coming from a restaurant's back porch light. On the outer rim of light stood a man, a knife gleaming and glinting dangerously in his hand, a cruel and wicked smile on his fact, and his body giving off an aura of death. Clearly, this was a mugging in progress at the very least and it wasn't the assailant's first one either. Judging by the scent of death that hung loosely around the strange man, Richard guessed that it wouldn't be his first murder either.

It wasn't going to get that far, not if he could help it. And he could.

Without thinking, his judgment blinded by rage and by the need to protect his soul mate at any and all costs, Richard descended upon the man like a vengeful god. The many didn't even know what had hit him until it was too late. Growling like an animal, Richard slammed the man against the wall of a building and snarled, teeth bared and eyes narrowed dangerously. The man struggled in his grasp, trying to break free, but his efforts were futile. Had Richard not arrived when he had, Martin would've been dead. That was what drove Richard to tear out the man's throat.

His blood, hot and thick, poured from him like a red waterfall and gurgles escaped the man as he slumped to the ground. Within seconds, he was dead. Richard's chest rose and fell with every pant, every heave, and blood stained his lips, teeth, and chin. But the threat had been dealt with and he could breathe knowing that his mate was safe from harm.

"Oh…my God," Martin said softly. It sounded loud in the otherwise quiet alleyway. Richard looked up, his eyes wide, as though he were looking at Martin for the first time. There was shock and fear and tears in the blonde's eyes and Richard immediately took a step forward to comfort him. He cringed, literally cringed, when Martin flinched and took a step back.

"Martin," Richard said, his voice thick as the realization of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks. Martin wasn't supposed to find out about him being a vampire. Not like this, never like this. But it was too late now and there was no taking it back. All he could do now was explain. "Martin…I can explain."

"You…you…you'd better explain, God damn it!" Martin stuttered, looking fearful and panicked and on the verge of a break down. "You came out of nowhere, jumping off a building like a mad man, and killed a man. You'd better ex-fucking-plain."

Richard took a deep calming breath that had no effect on his whatsoever. Closing his eyes, he kept telling himself that Martin was still there, that he hadn't run away, and that that was surely a good sign. Or, at least, he hoped it was. Opening his eyes, he met Martin's gaze and opened his mouth.

"I'm a vampire," he said simply. Martin blinked, looked perplexed and dumbfounded.

"What? What did you say?" he asked.

"I said, 'I'm a vampire', Martin," Richard repeated. Martin shook his head, looking angry.

"No. No, that's not possible. Vampires don't exist! Stop messing around and explain to me what I just saw. Make it make sense to me," Martin demanded. Holding up his hands, Richard took a small step towards his mate. Thankfully, he didn't flinch or take a step back.

"I'm trying to explain it to you, Martin. I'm a vampire. We do exist; we have since humans first started walking the earth," Richard said, trying to sound calm. How well he managed with that he didn't know. "I was turned over three hundred and eighty-three years ago by a vampire named Peter, who rules over the largest coven in London. I have to drink blood in order to survive."

"Do you also hate garlic too?" Martin snorted, clearly not believe him.

"Yes, but only because it gives me indigestion," Richard answered him with a serious look on his face. Martin studied him for a moment, his eyes narrowed and squinting.

"You're bloody serious, aren't you?" Martin said slowly after a minute. Richard nodded.

"Yes, I am. Please, you have to believe me. I didn't tell you before now because I wasn't sure if you were ready to hear it or not," Richard told him. Martin looked thoughtful, but still unsure and irritated. As he waited for the blonde to say something, anything, his heart pounded in his ears and his palms began to sweat.

"Prove to me you're a vampire. Do something no human can do and I'll believe you," Martin said, look grim and desperate all at once, like he wanted to believe Richard but just couldn't.

There were numerous things Richard could do to prove to Martin that he was a vampire. But he didn't feel like tearing the restaurant's light out of the brick wall or picking up and dumpster and throwing in. And then, his eyes landed on the brick wall of another building. With a slight grin, Richard walked over to it and placed his fingers on it, creating groves and indentations with his nails. Then, he began to climb. Up the wall he went, not bothering to look back down at Martin to see if he was watching; he could feel that Martin was watching. When he reached the top, he sat down and gazed steadily down at his mate.

"All right, you big show off. Now get down here," Martin called up to him. Richard jumped from the building and landed with a cat-like grace on his legs in front of him. Standing up straight, his blue eyes locked onto Martin's.

"Just so you know, I'm pissed at you right now," the blonde growled, looking very much like he wanted to punch something, preferably Richard.

"I understand. I would have told you sooner, but…well…I wasn't sure if you'd believe me," Richard admitted to him.

"To be honest, I still don't know if I do," Martin said.

"But you said-"

"I know what I said, but it's a lot to wrap my mind around, okay? I mean, I did just see you kill a man and…for fuck's sake, Richard, you killed a man!" Martin hissed at him.

"He was going to hurt you. I was doing what I thought necessary to protect my mate," Richard said, gazing at Martin with sadness and regret in his eyes.

"Mate?" Martin said him.

"All vampires have soul mates. You are…you're mine," Richard said, a blush tinting his features.

"So you killed a man because you thought it was the right thing to do?" Martin asked him. Richard was starting to feel very small. Perhaps killing him hadn't been the best idea. No, killing the man was definitely not the best idea, but his instincts had taken over and he hadn't given it any thought. All he could think about was protecting his mate and keeping him safe.

"Is there anyone else that you've killed?" Martin asked, sounding mad and almost bitter. Richard continued gazing at him, his eyes expression everything that he couldn't say.

"Yes," he said softly.

"Who?" Martin asked. Pain and a regret that would never disappear for the rest of his life appeared in Richard's eyes. He had told himself time and time again that he would tell Martin the truth should he ask for it. As much as he wanted to, he wasn't going to back down from that.

"Your parents," Richard said in a voice more soft than the previous one. Silence fell upon them. The air was thick and full of tension. And Martin…Martin looked horrorstruck.

"My…my parents? You…you killed my…parents?" Martin asked, sounding so far away. Richard swallowed heavily and nodded again.

"Yes. Your parents were Hunters. They hunted and killed vampires regardless of if they killed humans or not. They moved here after another family of Hunters left and pursued me even though I don't kill when I feed. No vampire needs to kill when they feed," Richard explained. "They hunted me and hunted me until I felt as though I had no other choice but to end it. I…I killed them quickly; they felt little pain. But before I could leave, I heard something. A baby. Crying."

He paused and looked down, feeling ashamed and very much like a coward. Tears welled up in his eyes and something inside of him told Richard that this would probably be the last time he would see Martin ever again. Nonetheless, he continued.

"I followed the noise and then I found you, alone in your crib, newly orphaned. Had I known that they had a child…that they had you, I wouldn't have done what I did. I would've left them alone. But I didn't know and I killed them and made you an orphan," Richard told him, his voice thick and heavy.

Neither of them spoke. What was there to say? Nothing Richard said or did now could make up for what he had done to Martin. Seconds passed by. Minutes. Unable to take it anymore, Richard looked up at Martin and found that his mate was seething. Rage rolled off of him in waves and he looked as though he'd love nothing better than to behead Richard himself.

"You… You son of a bitch," Martin growled lowly. Richard couldn't stop the wince that came to him.

"You murdered my parents all because they were doing their job?!"

"Hunters kill vampires who kill humans. That is what they are supposed to do. They're not supposed to kill vampires who don't kill," Richard said, beginning to feel angry himself. Angry because of what he had done, angry because he had been turned into a vampire, angry because the Freemans killed first and asked questions later, and angry at Martin for not at least trying to understand.

"You just killed!" Martin yelled at him.

"Yes, to protect you because you're my mate! I didn't kill him because I wanted to feed from him! I've already fed for the night," Richard retorted.

"That doesn't matter! Killing is killing," Martin said. "And I hate you. I hate you so much. I hate you!" Before Richard could say anything else, Martin turned and bolted, running away from him.

Feeling numb and lifeless, Richard watched him go. He could feel his heart and soul cracking and breaking into pieces. Who was he kidding? Himself, apparently. How could he ever believe that Martin would ever understand let alone forgive him? It was foolish for him to think that the blonde would forgive him. Had their roles been reversed, Richard doubted that he would forgive Martin if he killed his parents. Richard deserved this and so much more. This was his punishment for murdering his soul mates' parents. Perhaps Martin would kill him for revenge.

Perhaps Richard wanted him to.

~…~

It had been nearly a week since Martin and Richard had fought in the alley way and Martin hadn't seen the older man – no, vampire – since then.

At first, he had been glad. Anger, white hot rage, overwhelming grief, and heartbreak had been alive and well inside of him when he ran away from Richard. Those feelings had stayed with him as he kept thinking about everything Richard had told him over and over again. He told himself numerous times that he would never, ever forgive Richard for murdering his parents. How could he? How could Richard do that? So what if his parents were Hunters and killed vampires, even vampires who didn't kill humans? It was wrong in so many ways. And, worse of all, Martin had fallen in love and slept with his parents' killer!

Days passed and Martin felt like he was on the verge of going insane with anger and grief. After those few days had passed, however, the grief began to override the anger. Grief over the loss of his parents, over the life he could have had, and grief over the fact that he had all but broken up with the only person he would ever be in love with. Truthfully, Martin had begun to regret his words and his running away from Richard. At least, he had regretted hurting him so. But he was conflicted because although he regretted them, he felt as though Richard had deserved them. His heart felt like it weight a ton and an aching he had never known before began to creep its way into every fiber of his being. When it first started happening, Martin thought it was because he recently learned the truth about his parents.

Now, after seven days apart from Richard, he wasn't so sure.

Never before had he been away from Richard for so long and he was starting to think that maybe there were consequences to being parted from one's soul mate for so long. Part of him, a mean part of him, was kind of glad for it; another part of him deeply regretted and dreaded it. After seven days of being away from Richard – or rather, of Richard not coming home – Martin found that he was more sad and depressed than he had ever been. It was almost as though the world had lost all of its color except blue. Only blue. Lonely, lonely blue.

His heart and soul ached desperately to see Richard, to hear his voice, to feel his touch… Martin couldn't think straight; actually, he couldn't' think about anything, really, except Richard. It was like it had been before they had gotten together. Back then, Martin could hardly concentrate on anything in school except Richard. His head had always been a jumbled mess. Now, it was a jumbled mess all over again, only much, much worse. Sadness gripped him so tightly that he felt as though he were about to suffocate.

He should have been angry even after a week. Martin should have wanted to take Richard's head clean off his neck. Instead, he wanted desperately to see him, talk to him, hold him. But he feared that he had fucked things up royally and that he would never be able to fix it. It was all too much for him.

Getting up off of the couch, Martin left the house and stormed off to the park. The fresh air would do him good. When he got there, he sat down on the bench and tried to clear his head. Unfortunately, that didn't work at all. So, he watched as people passed him by. Parents and children. Grandmas and Grandpas. Old people. Young people. Old couples. Young couples. How long he sat there and watched, Martin didn't know. But when someone say down beside him, he felt irritation build up inside of him, although it soon disappeared somewhat when he saw that it was Graham. His heart clenched in pain and sorrow at the fact that it wasn't Richard.

"What're you doing out here, laddie?" Graham asked him.

"I needed some fresh air," Martin replied. "I had a fight with Richard a week ago and I needed to get out."

"Aye, I know. He told me," Graham said. "He's been staying at my place. Well, mine and Adam's."

"I suppose he told you about our fight," Martin said, suddenly feeling worn out and drained beyond belief.

"Aye. Although I knew about everything before. Have for years now," Graham admitted. Martin wanted to be angry at that, he really did, but he was just too tired and exhausted to do so. He hadn't gotten much sleep over the past week and he hardly ate anything. So, instead of getting angry, he just sighed heavily, feeling far older than what he actually was.

"He killed my parents, Graham," Martin said.

"That he did and he took you in and raised you to repent," Graham retorted.

"That doesn't change the fact that they were still my parents," Martin snapped.

"Martin, there's something you should know about your parents," Graham said, sounding old. Martin figured that he was a vampire too. How long had he been around? As long as Richard had?

"Oh yeah? And what exactly is that?" Martin asked.

"They were murderers themselves," Graham told him. "Hunters are supposed to take out the vamps that kill innocent humans, which makes perfect sense. Vampires who kill humans risk exposing us and must be taken out. However, to kill a vampire who never killed a human before is just as bad as killing a human." Graham paused and looked towards the sky. It was a cloudy day and the sun was blocked out by clouds threatening to pour rain at any minute.

"Your parents were skilled Hunters. They did their job well and efficiently. But they killed any vampire who crossed their path. Young ones, old ones, good, bad, it made no difference to them," Graham explained. "They killed my brother, Ken, who had never killed a human. Ever. Yet they killed him in his own home when he was asleep in his bed. He never even saw it coming and he never had a chance to defend himself."

"Oh…Oh, God. That's…that's horrible," Martin said. He was starting to feel sick. Very sick. If he had eaten anything that day, he probably would've thrown it up right then and there.

"Aye, it was. So you see, perhaps it was for the best that Richard did what he did and took you in. If he hadn't, then you would've become a Hunter like your parents and you probably would've killed many innocent vampires just like they did."

"I…I…" Martin didn't know what to say. So many emotions were raging inside of him and it was all too much to bear. Tears welled up in his eyes and they began to trickle slowly down his face before they began to pour more rapidly.

Graham's large hand came to rest on his back and rubbed it reassuringly. He was saying something, but Martin couldn't hear him. At that moment, he was in his own world, trying to think and failing miserably. Before he even realized it, he was being hauled up by Graham and steered back towards home.

When he got there, Graham opened the door and pushed him inside. Standing in the hallway was Richard, looking very tired and worse for wear. And suddenly, just like that, everything cleared up for Martin. Color began to return to his world and the fucked up clutter that his mind had became started straightening out. As Martin stared at Richard, his guardian, his protector, his lover, his…his soul mate, he felt a sense of unfathomable love seep into every atom of his being. His soul swelled inside of him and all Martin wanted to do was pulled Richard to him and make love to him like there was no tomorrow.

"Richard," Martin said softly. Richard looked at him.

"Martin. I…" Richard never got to finish because Martin had jumped on him and knocked them both to the floor. He kissed the vampire like there was no tomorrow and his heart soared when Richard kissed him back.

And suddenly, he knew that even though they had to work things out everything would be okay again.

~…~

"All you have to do," Richard told Martin as his nail made a thin cut down his arm, "is drink from me for a minute."

"A minute exactly?" Martin half joked. Richard looked him in the eye.

"Yes, a minute exactly. Anything less and you'll only become a half vampire," he explained. Richard watched as his mate nodded. Even now, at thirty-seven years of age, Martin still looked angelic and timeless. He took Richard's breath away.

"Will you time me?" Martin asked as he scooted closer to him on their bed.

"Of course," Richard reassured him.

He gasped in pleasure as Martin sealed his lips over the cut on Richard's arm. Having his soul mate drink from him felt so good. Having never changed a human into a vampire before, he had never experienced it, but now that he was, he enjoyed it a lot. Maybe that was because it was Martin who was drinking from him. The thought of sharing his blood with another made him feel very uncomfortable and Richard doubted that he'd be changing anyone else ever again. Martin was all he would need forever more.

After a minute passed by, Richard gently tilted Martin's head up and away. Licking his cut so seal it shut, Richard watched as Martin suddenly gasped in pain and hunched forward onto the bed, bent so that the older vampire couldn't see his face. He wasn't worried about the blonde; all vampires went through the same pain of changing species. Even after centuries of having been a vampire, Richard still remembered the pain. Sitting beside Martin, he rubbed his mate's back and nuzzled his hair. A few minutes passed by and Martin's body began to relax.

"How are you feeling?" Richard asked. After a moment, Martin sat up. He looked paler and tired, but otherwise, he appeared okay.

"Fine. Just…fine. My stomach's kind of…cramped though. And I feel…weird," he answered.

"You will for a little while. That's normal," Richard told him, wrapping his arms around Martin's smaller body.

"You know what, though?" Martin said, a small grin worming its way onto his face. Richard smiled back at him.

"What?" he asked. Before he knew it, Martin had pushed him down onto the bed and was straddling him. His eyes were dark and clouded with lust and want and pure, unadulterated need.

"I could use a good ride right about now," Martin replied, smirking and wagging his eye brows.

"I like that idea," Richard said before he pulled Martin down for a kiss.

He spent the rest of the night making love to Martin, memorizing every inch of his mate's body just because he could. They had forever now, after all, but that didn't mean that Richard didn't want to take his time making his beloved squirm under his light, teasing touches. Martin could get him back for it later. After all, they had all the time in the world now.

~…~

The End

~…~


End file.
